The judges of the 9th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards have been announced. The 2016 Honorary Jury, judging the Professional competition, includes David Campany, Karen Knorr,Jean Jacques Naudet, Mariko Takeuchi, Dominique Green, Emma Lynch, Julien Jourdes and Fiona Rogers. The Open competition will be chaired by Jael Marschner and the Student Focus competition will be judged by Simon Bainbridge, Mark Murrmann, Mother Jones and Matthew Tucker. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 21 April. Prizes include the latest Sony digital imaging equipment, inclusion in the 2016 awards’ book plus cash prizes of $25,000 for the overall Professional winner and $5,000 for the overall Open winner.

WPO Press Release

Judges announced for world’s largest photography competition

• Photographers worldwide have just seven weeks left to enter for free at www.worldphoto.org/swpa
• $30,000 cash prizes, global exposure and Sony digital imaging equipment
• An exclusive selection of submissions to the 2016 awards are available at press.worldphoto.org

“I would recommend the Sony World Photography Awards to all photographers who want to highlight their work.”

John Moore, 2015 L’Iris d’Or/ Photographer of the Year

17th November 2015: The judges of the ninth edition of the Sony World Photography Awards, the world’s largest photography competition organised by the World Photography Organisation (WPO), are announced today. Comprising of respected figures from across the industry, the judges’ role is to uncover and reward the world’s best contemporary photography from 2015.

Jury

The 2016 Honorary Jury, judging the Professional competition, includes:

• Art categories: (Chair) David Campany, Writer and Curator (UK); Karen Knorr, Photographer and Professor, University for the Creative Arts (US/UK); Jean Jacques Naudet, Editorial Director, L’Oeil de la Photographie (France); Mariko Takeuchi, Photography Critic, Curator and Associate Professor of Kyoto University of Art and Design (Japan).
• Documentary categories: (Chair) Dominique Green, Consultant (UK); Emma Lynch, Picture Editor, BBC Global News website (UK); Julien Jourdes, Co-Founder & Coo, Blink.la (US); Fiona Rogers, Global Business Development Manager, Magnum Photos (UK).

The Open competition will be chaired by Jael Marschner, Group Picture Editor, Time Out (UK) and the Student Focus competition will be judged by Simon Bainbridge, Editor, British Journal of Photography (UK); Mark Murrmann, Photo Editor, Mother Jones (US) and Matthew Tucker, Picture Editor, BuzzFeed UK (UK).

Prizes and testimonials

Each year the awarded shortlisted and winning photographers are given global exposure and recognition and have the opportunity to promote and sell their work via the World Photography Organisation.

Recent winners of the awards comment:

“I received tons of press, and worldwide attention. Being able to have that ‘stamp of approval’ from such a prestigious organisation and jury, and from the photography community, was huge for me, from a personal and professional level. By gaining so much added exposure, I met clients, my audience grew exponentially, which led to me signing with a wonderful gallery, and getting many professional gigs.” Sophie Gamand, 2014 Portaiture Photographer of the Year.

German photographer Mario Wezel, who won the Professional People category in 2014, adds: “I met many great people from the industry through the awards and established some good connections. The exposure was also great. What I like about the Sony World Photography Awards is that they are not only for the photography industry itself but also a wider audience that learns to appreciate photography through these awards.”

From the Open competition, 2015 Split Second winner Jaime Massieu from Spain comments: “The Sony World Photography Awards are one of the biggest chances you have to get known. The risk is none and the opportunities are endless. There’s not a single reason not to try.”

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 21 April. Prizes include the latest Sony digital imaging equipment, inclusion in the 2016 awards’ book plus cash prizes of $25,000 (USD) for the overall Professional winner and $5,000 (USD) for the overall Open winner.

All winning and shortlisted images will be exhibited as part of the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House, London from 22 April – 8 May.

Deadlines

With just seven weeks until the close of the awards, photographers of all abilities from around the world are invited to submit their work for free at www.worldphoto.org/swpa

The competition deadlines are:

• Student Focus: 4 December 2015 - For emerging photographic talent studying any degree level photography course, supported by the British Jouranl of Photography
• Open: 5 January 2016 - Open to all, 10 categories judged on a single shot
• Youth: 5 January 2016 - For young photographers aged 12-19, three categories judged on a single image
• National Awards: 5 January 2016 - Looking for the best single shot by a local photographer from over 50 countries.
• Professional: 12 January 2016 - For serious photographers, 14 categories across two genres judged on a series of work

The full list of competition categories can be found at www.worldphoto.org/swpa

The 2015 Sony World Photography Awards attracted 173, 444 entries from 171 countries. The 2015 L’Iris d’Or / Professional Photographer of the Year title was awarded to Getty Images photographer John Moore. The awards’ annual exhibition of the winning and shortlisted works was held at Somerset House, London and saw a record 33,394 visitors.

Further details about the Sony World Photography Awards and the World Photography Organisation can be found at www.worldphoto.org

All entries to the Sony World Photography Awards are free at www.worldphoto.org . Please visit the website for rules and conditions of entries

KEY DATES

23 February 2016 – Shortlist for Professional, Open and Youth competitions revealed

1 March 2016 – Student focus shortlist announced

15 March 2016 – National Award winners revealed

29 March 2016 – Open and Youth winners announced

21 April 2016 – L’Iris d’Or/Photographer of the Year plus Professional category winners and Open, Youth and Student Focus Photographers of the Year revealed at gala ceremony held in London

22 April to 8 May – 2016 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, London

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Photo: © Mildreth Vasquez López, Colombia, Entry, Arts & Culture, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

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